This invention relates to brushing apparatus for cleaning and polishing certain vegetables, particularly pumpkins and various species of squashes.
Pumpkins and squashes grow on vines lying on plowed ground, so they are often partially covered or caked with dried mud. Cleaning and polishing this produce greatly enhances its marketability. The aesthetic appeal of produce which is both cleaned and polished is striking.
In the prior art generally, large articles of produce such as pumpkins and squashes are typically cleaned by hand with a brush, hose, cloth or the like; or else they are simply left in their natural state. Smaller articles such as apples and cucumbers are cleaned by brushers in which the produce moves over a series of horizontally and laterally aligned brushes. This type of brusher is not effective for cleaning larger articles of produce, such as pumpkins and squashes, typically between 6" and 18" diameter.
Prior art includes U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,451,088 to Germann; 1,732,180 to Brogden; 4,827,836 to Neidigh; 2,249,787 to Savage; 4,509,414 to Chiu. All these are of record in my earlier applications referred to above.
Germann discloses a bowling ball cleaner with three rotating cylindrical brushes forming a brush channel. The brush channel is inclined downward from entrance to exit, so that the ball moves downhill along the brush channel by gravity. The brushes all rotate at the same speed so as to get the ball spinning. The spinning ball is caused to leave the brush channel so as to brush against stationary sidewall buffing surfaces.
Brogden discloses a fruit cleaner with a pair of rotatable cylindrical brushes, one on each side of a conveyor belt. The conveyor belt drives a number of scrub brushes longitudinally between the cylindrical brushes. Brogden states that the brush rolls slope downward gently from the receiving end of the washer, but they may be arranged to slope in the opposite direction or with no slope at all. This statement is not explained, but it does not relate to throughput speed control, since produce is driven through the apparatus by the conveyor belt, not by the side brush rolls.
Neidigh discloses a produce peeler with rotating cylindrical rollers. Produce is pushed through the apparatus by a positive displacement device (an auger) which also controls the throughput speed of the apparatus. The several rollers rotate at different speeds to enhance the peeling effect.
Savage discloses a potato peeler in which potatoes move axially along abrasive rollers. The rollers are inclined downward from inlet to discharge, and the potatoes move along by gravity.
Chiu discloses a produce peeler with transverse rollers and longitudinal conveyor belts to move articles of produce over and across (not along) the rollers. The produce moves downhill from the inlet end to the discharge end. The incline of the apparatus affects the rate with which articles tumble over and across the transverse rollers, and is adjustable to control dwell time. In Chiu, articles tumble laterally over rollers. In the present invention, articles travel lengthwise in a brush channel.
Neidigh, Savage, and Chiu are devices for invasive treatment of produce (peeling, stemming, etc.). They all involve impact such as tumbling, abrasion, scraping, and the like. The impact is necessary to achieve the desired peeling or stemming action, but is acceptable because these devices are preparing the produce for immediate further processing, such as canning or freezing.
In all of these prior devices, articles are moved along and through the apparatus either by gravity or by a positive displacement device.